Usagi Drop – 02

I’m probably going to be repeating myself a lot here, but this series is very cute and heartwarming. Its strong start continues into the second episode, and it’s very straightforward and simple, almost like slice of life. Daikichi and Rin struggle through work, school, shopping, commute, and they are really just normal people facing an interesting situation. Daikichi may be a clueless new parent, but to be fair being a parent really is a learning process and few people get it right the first time. Rin is a snarky, witty little kid, but she helps him by telling him what she knows. Raising a child is no easy task, and Daikichi tries to figure things out by asking his cousin, checking the internet, and just general trial and error.

The episode proceeds through the first few days of their life together, as Rin figures out life at nursery school and Daikichi faces the difficult task of balancing his career and a new family all by himself. Given his busy job, I guess he should have been a little more careful in making promises, especially when using the very serious pinky swear. Unsurprisingly, he’s unable to keep his promise and ends up picking Rin up extremely late, getting a totally deserved pouty face. My eyes actually moistened a bit when Daikichi followed through and ate the paper needles that he swore on. It’s nice seeing him trying his best as he gets used to taking care of a child, and if there is one thing he is doing right, it would definitely be that he is perceptive to Rin’s feelings and does all he can to understand and address them.

Touching moments aside, Daikichi and Rin’s interactions are so darn cute and hilarious, but they also feel very realistic at the same time. There are plenty of subtle quirks, from Rin lecturing him on manners, fussing with each others’ hair, to directly calling him Daikichi (though considering she is technically his aunt, it’s not entirely inappropriate). Luckily for Daikichi, she’s pretty mature for her age, but in a lot of ways she’s like a normal little kid too — for example not wanting to be too close with dad in front of the other kids, being a bit nervous on her first day of school, making pouty faces, and denying embarrassing deeds. Rin’s antics and the faces she makes are utterly lovable, and I had a constant smile on my face throughout the episode. The way things are portrayed certainly makes me wish the best for the characters, and I’m trying very hard not to peek at the manga just yet.

This episode was a great follow up and it looks promising. I really enjoy their interactions too and the way they would “trade places” in certain dialogues and actions was pretty cute. Daikichi’s really trying his best and I’d like to see how this ends up affecting his life since he can’t really continue as is. Definitely looking forward to more of this show.

our mind have been corrupted because we watched too many loli show
make us cannot appreciate pure heartwarming moments
oh god please forgive us
( just kidding, I can tell what is lolifanservices and what’s not )

Actually, those pictures depict realistic moments in any normal family – including the bed wetting.
As a viewer (of the Anime), we sometimes forget that we are granted a viewpoint that is not generally
granted to an outsider; we are uninvited guests and those scenes provide credibility and depth to the
storytelling.

But moving on, I agree with you about how much of an actual slice of life this is. I also like the pacing of the series, letting things take their natural course makes it all the more realistic. And I am also soo tempted to go peek at the manga!

Difficult to say as they are very different series. Clannad After Story was full on drama towards the end and tried to pluck every emotional string there is to pluck. This show is more of a slice of life which is cute and lighthearted. There are some similarities, but remember that (Clannad spoiler alert) Show Spoiler ▼

Ushio is Tomoya’s daughter and it is possibly harder for him since she reminds him of Nagisa

. In this series that feeling of loss isn’t there, but everything else is (trying to balance work and family, learning how to be a parent etc).

Yeah, but I don’t look for a new Clannad, just something as powerful as After Story (first season wasn’t that great at all).
I thought that Anoha or Hanasaku could be great dramas but my hopes are on Usagi Drop now.

I kind of want to start reading the manga to see if this will turn into a sad series or one with a happy ending, but I also don’t want to spoil the anime which is such a fantastic adaptation. Conundrum!

You shouldnt be thinking of Daikichi as Rin’s father, never forget he is just a guardian and she is his aunt. Rin doesnt see him as a father either as you can already see from their interactions and he hasnt decided on what she is to him either, the matter will be setled in a later chapter… no, not in a controversial way you sick fucks.

Dont try to find any hiden meanings on this post or this anime, dont be afraid of it, you are way sicker than it, trust me.

Given what you said, I guess that you’ve already known the manga’s ending. Well, I don’t really see them as father and daughter either. More like a big goofy brother and snarky little sister… maybe, it’s hard to describe it.

This show, always puts a smile on my face but at the same time a chuckle and a tear. This series is heart warming and it feels so real cause of the interaction between the characters. :) My kind of show

I rather liked how the manga got “translated” into the anime so far, with some of the open thought process changed into actions that we can understand without the characters speaking their mind…with some fluffy results…

Why do people find some of this stuff awkward or suggestive? Honestly, has the anime world warped folk’s minds to the point where even something heartwarming needs to have some inherently wrong under tones?

Thx for covering this anime, it’s always nice to see what you think even if there is not a whole lot of plot movement. I agree with you that this is a very heart warming anime. I’ll need to make time to see this anime through.

I think it’s pretty real, little kid only act spoiled brat if there are people to spoil her. In Rin case, it is clear nobody want to even bother with her. I’m guessing instead of being mature or anything, it more that she doesn’t know how to interact with other people( since crying and throwing tantrum won’t get anyone attention.)

he does have a point and that is what happens later on. I mean they do fall in love when she is older. Personally narratively speaking it makes sense but I can see how that will turn alot of people off from this show and might even see it as completey shocking to say the least. for now i dont think anything sugesstive happened in this episode at all 0_0 I don’t know what people are thinking

At the end of the day, they turned out to not be blood-related. Totally not. And Daikichi has never adopted Rin. If he did, that which would have made their potential marrige illegal. They are allowed to get married legally, and Rin literally begged Daikichi, who was feeling completely awkward about the feeling of his “aunt” towards him, to become her man, not vise versa.

I think you have a good show/manga when characters react rather realistically to certain situations. I would have been very irritated if Daikichi started having stupid perverse thoughts about Rin sleeping next to him.

I find it especially nice how despite being a josei manga, it can appeal to both the male and female audience

Kidding aside this was a rather enjoyable episode. It’s a nice change of pace from what has been on lately. My only gripe is animation style they use for some of the expressions; mostly Rin’s. (I know it’s just a different animation style, but it still looks weird.) Though that’s only a minor issue.

What lies ahead is uncertain, but it’s only a matter of time before ‘s*** gets real’ for Daikichi.

In a way I sort of envy Daikichi, to have skipped past the dating and marriage phases of his life and going straight to the child-rearing phase, thus not needing to go through any of the drama that forms part of the emo-package with the first two phases. lol

(Though he did quip about getting a girlfriend so as to make his job of raising Rin easier. )

I fully agree with your opinion, Prooof. Cute, but in a realistic way. Its pretty cool to show her compared to the hyperactive and very childish Reina. I dunno how long I can surpress the impulse of reading the manga @.@

I’m going to assume its the whole east vs. west ordeal, the difference between parenting in the east and parenting in the west. There were similar reactions for even My Neighbor Totoro where some people were saying the dad was a pedo because he was taking a bath with his 2 little girls. Or he was just “too close” to his daughters.